Houston College on the Banks of Buffalo Bayou
by Louis F. Aulbach
The years following the War Between the States were difficult times in Houston. The social changes brought about by the emancipation of the slaves presented challenges to the citizens of Houston for which no one was >prepared. Few institutions or organizations of social welfare existed to adequately care for the large numbers of former slaves who migrated into the city in the late 1860's.
Fortunately, there were a few strong leaders who emerged from among the African-American community. One of these was John Henry (Jack) Yates. The 30-year-old Jack Yates helped to organize the Antioch Baptist Church, and he became its first pastor in 1868.
As the first generation of freed men and women adjusted to their new way of life, it became apparent to many of them that education was the key to success. In 1885, Jack Yates and other leading blacks established the Houston Baptist Academy. The school opened in rented facilities in the Third Ward, in a residence called the Cooper Place which was located at the corner of Bell Avenue and San Jacinto Street, a block south of the current South Texas College of Law.
Within a decade, the success of the school prompted Reverend Yates to reorganize the Houston Baptist Academy as the Houston College, and, in 1894, he relocated the institution to a wooded, three acre tract of land beyond the western limits of Houston on the San Felipe Road. In spite of the name, the Houston College offered only courses in primary, secondary and industrial education. Yet, the school offered a special opportunity to the black children of the community who sought an alternative to the Colored High School of the public school system.
Jack Yates Marker
Click on image to enlarge.
Even after the death of Jack Yates in 1897, the Houston College operated for another generation before its closure in 1921. Located in the modern 3200 block of West Dallas Avenue, the Houston College was on the north side of West Dallas Avenue between Dunlavy Street and Terrell Street. The buildings of the institution included a domestic science building, a laundry, a boys dormitory and a girls dormitory. An additional dormitory was located on the south side of West Dallas Avenue.
The spirit of educational opportunity that characterized the Houston College persisted even after the school closed. In 1927, the Houston Colored Junior College was established. In 1934, it was renamed the Houston College for Negroes, and by 1947, the institution had become the Texas State University of Negroes. Finally, in 1951, true to the legacy of Jack Yates, the college became Texas Southern University.
Today, as you paddle along Buffalo Bayou past the Shepherd Drive bridge, nothing of the former Houston College is visible. The tract of land, which is desginated as the Houston Baptist Academy Addition, is occupied by the Allen House Apartments on the south side of Allen Parkway. A small sliver of the original tract on the north side of Allen Parkway is the Adath Yeshurun Cemetery which was acquired by the Congregation Adath Yeshurun in 1895.
Jack Yates is buried, along with members of his family, in the College Memorial Park Cemetery which is located in the 3500 block of West Dallas Avenue, immediately west of the Houston College site for which it was named.